(Caffeinated) Knitting keeps me (chemically) balanced.

Friday, August 31, 2007

It is finished...no, not the craft room...the back of the baby cardigan. (Working cables is SO much more satisfying than seed stitch.) It just didn't feel right to spend yesterday cleaning.

Yesterday was Anniversary Day...21 years of togetherness. Hmmm, our marriage is 21 years old...does that make it "legal age"? I suppose we should have toasted to it, but not us.

Instead of dinner at a fancy restaurant, we ate our way through the County Fair. An evening together with the kids (our greatest "accomplishments"). It seemed fitting: family and comfort food (with a few horse apples along the way- sounds like a good marriage.

21 years has no special gift; it's somewhere between platinum/china (20) and silver (25). Hmmmm, 7th is the "wool" anniversary and 21 is divisible by 7. That makes 21 three times the wool. Sounds about right.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Two more postcards have arrived on our doorstep! This time Nikki sent one from Doncaster, England and Anne (who lives in Belgium) mailed one from Berlin!! Thank you both!!

Since this week is my vacation, their postcards reminded me of how much fun it is to mail postcards while on vacation.

While cleaning the craft room, over a dozen unused postcards have come out to play. After all of the work this week, it must surely be time to play! So Thursday will be spent on the shores of Lake Michigan with my favorite cup o' joe, a pen and some post cards. Some of you may see one of these (or one from our travels) appear on your doorstep. (And, if you'd like one and don't think that I have your address, email it to: krafty1designs at yahoo dot com)

Speaking of postcards...how about business card sized Project Info Cards!?! Totally cool. (Though after the "yarnventory" at Chez Krafty1: temporarily impractical.) That's the extent of this week's Web Wednesday links. (Hey, I really AM on vacation!) Oh all right....and finally...your goofy photo of the week.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The shelves are up and the yarn is being sorted, photographed, uploaded to my Ravelry stash inventory, and placed on the shelves. The third drawer (solid colored sock yarn) has finally been emptied! It alone caused my Ravelry stash to swell from 55 to 87 yarns stashed.

But, yarn is not the only thing getting a new home this week; all of the scrapbooking/cardmaking/sewing/quilting/misc. crafting is getting attention as well.

The scrapbooks and photos and papers and rubberstamps and ink pads and adhesives and fabric andSculpeyand beads and OMIGOSH!!!

No wonder this project is taking so long to finish! It was folly to think that in two days time I could organize what has taken six years to accumulate and hide/stash/ distribute throughout the room! (At least nothing was in its original "move-in" box from six years ago!)

The current "crown jewel" is that there are actually clothes hanging in the closet for the first time in six years! Look at this "before" photo. All of the containers of yarn/fabric/thread/miscellany are outta there. Clothing...in a closet!...imagine that!!!!

Ahhh, so much yet to do....BUT there IS progress! (Now, where did I put that baby sweater?)

Monday, August 27, 2007

Ever watch Frazier? He always started his radio show with "I'm listening."

Me too. I'm listening. I resisted temptation and DIDN'T purchase the Tulip baby cardigan at Stitches. Friday seemed like the perfect day to start the Dale baby cardigan. No needle.

Saturday, I made the trip to Fond du Lac to get either a needle or a tulip cardigan kit. No tulip kit. BUT, they did have a 24" 2.25mm. It was INOX, but it was time to start "listening". No more looking around at other patterns. Someone's trying to tell me something and I'm listening.

This puppy has 7 inches of K1P1 seed stitch on US1 over 256 stitches per row! (Good thing I'm listening.)

Sunday, August 26, 2007

There is progress on the "craft room clean-up" front. Details (and photos) later in the week.

There is also a finished project; these socks. Remember #16? They went to live with Robin. The Stansfield 196 design was so much fun and I had another skein of Sockotta that now I have my own pair. Cotton summer socks...what could be better? Knitting on the deck with a glass of sweet tea.

Tea.

You're probably wondering about the post card, too. Remember Shaun's trip to the tea fields? Six days later a post card with Japanese tea fields (and Mt. Fugi in the background) arrives on my doorstep FROM Japan!

Believe me, I checked the stamp and cancellation to be sure. (Especially after I my attempts to confuse LaDonna, my SP10 pal, by enlisting others to mail postcards for me from all over the country!) But, Shaun is most definitely in Japan. My ClustrMap has a big, red dot in Japan that hasn't been there in the past. Thanks for the post card Shaun & Hostie. Think I'll make some tea, put my feet up while wearing my new socks and dream of faraway places.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Have you listened to the latest Cast-On podcast? Brenda introduces another phase in the "summer of scouting". True to Scouting, there are beads and badges. Thus, the inspiration for my upcoming vacation.

Last month, I discovered that there were 5 vacation days in my possession that needed to be taken before Sept. 10th or they'd disappear into the ether. Not the type to let a good thing slip between my fingers, and after a bit of internal debate as to scheduling before or after school starts for the kids, the dates were set for next week.

No vacation destination...

Doogie will be working. Panda has x-country practice and work. So Special K has taken to calling next week "Camp Mom". (This week was "Camp Grandma".) And that's where Brenda provided inspiration. Next week, Camp Mom will be working on beads and badges.

With a little help from IKEA, it's the perfect time to work towards the orange Homecraft bead. Check this out...this is one of the room displays at IKEA. Confirmation that the shelves we were shopping for while in Chicago were just right! (I know, remodeling a room is not on the Scouting list for Homecraft, but darn it, this is my interpretation; go with it!)

Time to transform the craft room/studio/office from its current state of chaos.

Chaos that extends from one end of the room to the other!

School starts in a week...the girls need their homework spaces put back together...our crafting "stuff" is all over the place and needs to be organized. Stay tuned.

Don't worry...vacation also means knitting. There will be knitting content. Wish us luck! (Maybe we'll even find an orange bead in the chaos.)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

As many of you know, I have a thing for Shaun the Sheep. My SP11 pal (aka Hostie) has discovered this. Believe it or not, Hostie sat down and went back into the archives and read EVERY SINGLE post I've written!!!! WOW! (She wrote me to say that one of the other things she learned about me, besides my affection for Shaun, is that nobody messes with my Grandma!) Hostie turns out to be a close, personal friend of one of my idols...Shaun the Sheep. It seems Shaun is between films and is visiting Hostie in Japan. You can follow their adventures at the new Shaun in Japan blog. Totally cool! We are really enjoying reading about life in Japan! Check it out.

Hostie also discovered that I tend to habitually occasionally knit socks. Before I discovered toe-up designs, where every inch of yarn could be used, there were leftovers. What to do with the leftovers? There have been suggestions, but now Mad Cow socks seem to be just the thing for my leftovers. Check theseonesout. Though the examples are not shown with leftovers, I'm thinking that leftovers would be perfect!

Since this week seems to have an "animal theme" going, AND since this week Matt and crew are at their county fair with their livestock, I thought I'd share a county fair that one of the gals from my SP8 group attended. Mindy went to the fair in her wedding dress! (For those of you who weren't aware, "trashing the dress" is a growing trend...check out the amazing photos on Trash the Dress blog!)

And finally, what's a bluebird to do? Isn't it funny how some people will get SO upset about something while others wonder why. In fact, I head on the news today that the area that adopted the bluebird is organizing a Bluebird Festival!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The blocking wires made blocking this lace SO easy. It took very little time to get it all laid out on the bed. (Beds really DO make great blocking boards!) Despite Wisconsin's current HIGH levels of humidity, the entire thing was dry by this afternoon.

I'm so pleased with how this one turned out that it has been extremely difficult to resist the temptation to cast on another lace project!

Needles: US5 Lace Addis (I used a slightly larger needle than the pattern called for so that the fabric would be a bit more airy.)

Panda is hoping to wear it with her Homecoming Dress. (No, we haven't been shopping for one...yet.) In the meantime...how does one fold and store a shawl? There's never been anything like it in OUR house! (However, there WILL be more!)

Monday, August 20, 2007

I finished the Swallowtail Shawl yesterday. Here it is as it jumps into its "christening" bath; then onto the blocking wires for drying. Hopefully it won't take too long to dry (despite the intense "dampness" in WI at the moment!).

Overall, I'm pleased with this project. However, I know myself well enough to know that I SHOULD NOT cast on another lace project until after my vacation next week! "One more row, Honey.", is not nearly as short a time period with lace as it is with socks. It is taking everything I have not to cast on Ene's Scarf. (It's odd. Swallowtail is a "shawl" that I will wear as a scarf and Ene is a "scarf" that will fit me as a shawl!)

Robin asked about Doogie's purchases from Stitches. He bought 6 ounces of "Jacob" roving and a drop spindle from Handspun by Stephania. Steph's husband, Jim, was an incredible teacher in drop spindle technique. Doogie's been playing with his spindle in hopes of producing enough "decent" yarn to make a hat for himself.

He purchased some Lorna's Laces Black Watch sock yarn to make kilt hose. (And, yes, he has the kilt to go with the socks!) Doogie felt that someone in the house should purchase sock yarn!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Shelby, my SP hostess for this round, has asked us to each answer a few questions.

1) What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without? Tape measure...that could explain why there are so many in my house...just making sure that I'm never without one...including in my purse, knitting bag, knitting tool bag, on my desk, next to my knitting chair. You get the idea.

2) When heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? Absolutely If so, how much and what type of project? Generally, I take socks along; there are portable and can be worked even without a pattern. How many depends on how long I'll be gone and whether or not there are any "knitting destinations" along the way. Socks are my favorite trip souvenirs!

3) Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?Stirling, Scotland. Doogie and i visited here in 2000. We liked it so much that we went back and can't wait to go back again. If we could manage it, we'd move there. I wasn't a knitter when we visited so I don't have any souvenir socks from there; maybe next trip